Receiving Residence Permit Card from Sweden by Work Contract

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When you sign a contract with a Swedish company the first step is to apply for a work residence permit in Sweden. Some companies have an agreement with a third-party company to help you to apply for a residence permit, some do this process themselves using their own HR resources. To apply for a residence permit, 3 types of documents should be sent to Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket):

• Your company documents (typically the offer of employment)
• Your documents: passport image (how to take a photo from your passport), power of attorney (which allows someone in Sweden to send your documents to the Sweden Migration Agency. This form will be sent to you and you fill it out and you will send it back by email), A Questionnaire form that will ask you several questions about your current address, phone, birthplace and ….
  Notice, that if you are married, it is better to translate your marriage document in advance. Because it may take several days until they become ready as translation needs some approval from different sections of your home country’s government. This way you can move to Sweden faster.
• Your family documents: for each member of your family you should provide a passport image, power of attorney, and a questionnaire. You also should provide your marriage certificate (original and translated) or proof of cohabitation for at least 6 months

When you submit your documents to your company, it takes less than a week typically that they will send them to the Swedish Migra­tion Agency.

Notice that when you sign a contract, it is possible that your company does not request your and your family’s documents. In this case, it is better to contact them, and if it is possible contact your direct manager to start your process faster. Your relocation process starts when the company sends the documents to Swedish Migra­tion Agency.

When the company sends your document to the Swedish Migra­tion Agency, they will send you an email, containing information about your application. In the email, each person has a “control number” that is a reference code that you can use to check your status of the application on the Swedish Migra­tion Agency website.

Notice, using the control number code you can check whether the Agency has decided about your case or not. On the website, they don’t tell you whether they have approved your case or not. The agency will send an email to your company in which in detail they tell their decision. Typically they approve your case so there should be no worry about it. It can take 2 to 8 weeks typically until the Agency makes the decision about your application.

When your application is approved by Swedish Migration Agency, you are permitted to work in Sweden. Now it’s time to book an appointment to do biometrics in a Swedish embassy. To do biometrics means to go to the embassy with your family and an embassy employee will take your fingerprint, your photo (they have a camera and is free), and your signature. You only need your and your family’s passport when you go to the embassy. Also notice when you go to the embassy for an appointment you should have a copy of the appointment email that you will receive from the embassy. Notice that not all embassies do biometrics for you. The list of the embassies that do biometrics for you is already listed in the questionnaire form.

When you completed your biometrics, it typically takes 3 to 6 weeks until you receive the residence permit cards. When your card arrives in the embassy they will send an email to inform you. But notice it is very typical that you won’t receive an email when your card arrives. For me, I waited almost 6 weeks and received no email from the embassy. Then I send an email to them and they said yes, the cards have arrived. One of my friends when informed about my case, sent an email after 3 weeks and his card had arrived at the embassy already. So my suggestion is to contact the embassy after 3 weeks to receive your cards as soon as possible.

When your cards arrive at the embassy, you should make an appointment with the embassy to collect them. Notice that in the email, they will attach a form that is called “Power of Attorney” and you can allow your family members to fill and sign it. Using this form you can collect your family cards yourself from the embassy and it is not needed that your family member accompanies you on the trip to the embassy.

On the appointment day, the embassy employee gives you the cards and it is better to check that the information (your name, ….) is correct. Typically it is correct. The officer in the embassy told me to check the information and if the information is wrong you can request a correction (it typically should take several weeks) or you can use the card at your own risk.

Having your residence permit cards, you and your family can travel to Sweden (and all Schengen countries). Typically in these steps, you buy flight tickets for you and your family members to travel to Sweden. In my experience it is better to give a power of attorney to someone you trust so she/he can act on behalf of you for legal or financial related matters in your company.

I hope you find this article useful. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to leave a comment here.